Prime Video update will make it easier to see what isn’t free with your subscription

An Amazon Prime Video update rolling out today will address one of the biggest complaints made about the service – that it’s hard to tell what is and isn’t included with your subscription without first clicking on it.

Amazon also claims that the new user interface is simpler and more personalized, making it faster to find something interesting to watch …

For years, Amazon Prime Video was touted as one of the benefits of a Prime subscription, but many of us barely used it. That’s partly because content has been patchy, but also because half the time when you clicked on something it would turn out you needed to pay to watch it.

Improvements in the content, coupled to dramatic increases in the costs of other streaming services, has made the service more relevant, but that core issue has remained.

Variety reports that Amazon is promising today’s update will fix this.

Now, according to Amazon, it will be easier to see what is included with a Prime membership and what you would need to pay extra for. In the updated user experience, logos for Prime and add-on subscription services (like Max, Paramount+, Starz, MGM+ and Crunchyroll) will appear on the hero and title cards of a movie or TV show to provide a visual indicator about which service the content is available on. If a title requires additional payment, a yellow shopping bag icon will be visible […]

A new “Prime” destination in the navigation bar lets you to browse movies, TV shows, sports and linear broadcasts available at no additional cost with a Prime membership. 

Of course, “free” doesn’t mean ad-free: We learned back in May that the ad load is being increased.

Naturally, there’s a generative AI angle to the latest update.

Prime Video’s new interface also features a navigation bar with single-click access to titles; an improved way for customers to browse, sign up for and manage add-on subscriptions; and personalized content recommendations powered by generative AI.

The update begins rolling out globally today, though the company says it will take several weeks to reach everyone.

Photo by Thibault Penin on Unsplash